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ZN; ATTORNEYS 2 Sheets-+8heet 2.

Patentd Apr. 13, 189.7.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANTONIO DI TRANI, OF NEWV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF TWO-TIIIRDS TO JOHNC. HEIN AND GEORGE W. GLAZE, OF SAME PLACE.

SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent No. 580,779, dated April 13,1897.

Application filed August 4, 1896.

To (LZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ANTONIO D1 TRANI, a subject of the King of Italy,and a resident of the city, county, and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Switches, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to switches, and especially to switches such asare adapted for use in connection with tracks for street-railwayears,and it also relates to means for operating such switches from the movingcar.

The invention consists of the construction hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings, in which one embodiment of the invention is illustratedand in which like letters of reference designate corresponding parts inall the views, Figure l is a plan view of a track and showing a car inoutline in which my invention is embodied. Fig. 2 is a side elevationshowing a car and a switch, partly in section, embraced within myinvention; and Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 3 3,Fig. 3.

Referring now more particularly to the specifie embodiment of theinvention as shown in the drawings, A A are the rails of a cartrack.

B is the permanent frog in alinement with the rail A, and B is theswitch-rail in alinement with the rail A. The switch-point O is pivotedat one end in the switch-rail B and is carried from side to side by areciprocating block 0, which works in a recess in the under side of theswitch-rail. On the underside of this block is a link 0, pivoted at oneend to theblock and pivotally connected at its other end to a bell-cranklever D, whose elbow is pivoted to the switch-rail at d. The other endof this lever is connected, by means of the links E F, with atrack-treadle Gr. In its best form the traek-treadle is a lever pivotedat g to the switch-rail and pivotally connected with the link F andprovided with an antifriction-roll g. The treadle G is located at apoint in advance of the switch-point C and projects above the track. Inorder that the treadle may not be subjected to outside injury, such asmight be occasioned by trucks; or carriages, I provide means forsuitably protecting it. To this end the switch-rail is pro- Serial No.601,656. (No model.)

vided with a groove a, through which the treadle projects. In thepresent embodiment of the invention the switch-point is permanentlybiased to occupy a predetermined position, such position being hereinshown as the position for traflic onto the turnout. The means employedfor this purpose comprisesa flat spring 6, secured at one end to theswitchrail and bearing with its other end against the projecting end ofthe block 0, but other means may of course be employed for this purposebesides this spring, and in some cases the switch-point may be unbiased.As thus described, it will be seen that when the track-treadle G isdepressed the links and bell-crank lever operate to move outward theblock C and throw the switch-point from side traffic to through traffic,and that when the treadle is released the spring or whatever means isemployed for the purpose returns the switch-point and its connections tothe normal position.

In order that the switch-point may be conveniently operated bya movingcar, I provide a bar H, connected by pivoted links h 71. to the bottomof the car K. One of these links, as h, is fixed to a rock-shaft Lbeneath the ear-platform, and the rock-shaft is arranged to be operatedby a foot-treadle M, extending up through the car-platform. A spring mor other suitable means is employed to hold the bar normally above thetrack and out of position to engage thetrack-treadle G. It will thus beseen that by depressing the treadle M the bar H is thrown down and ridesover the traek-treadle G and throws the switch, and that when thetreadle M is released the bar H rises to its normal position. The barextends from a point in advance of the front wheels to a point in therearof the rear wheels, so that the switch may be held over until bothfront and rear wheels have cleared the switch-point. The groove a in theswitchrail is arranged to receive the bar H when depressed, and, ifdesired, the rail A, immediately in advance of the switch-rail B, may beprovided with such a groove.

It will be observed that in accordance with the several features of myinvention as herein set forth the switch-point when required to bethrown may be easily and conveniently operated by the driver or motormanfrom the platform of a car approaching a turnout without stopping thecar and without the operator leaving the platform.

The drawings and description set forth the best specific embodiment ofthe various features of the invention now known to me, but I do not Wishto be understood as limiting the invention to such specific embodiment,as various changes such as will readily occur to any one skilled in theart might be made wit-hout departing from the scope of the invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of a movable switchpoint, a bar connected to a carand extending beneath the same from a point in advance of the frontWheels to a point in the rear of the rear wheels, said bar being movableto and from the level of the track and provided with a rock-shaft, anoperating-treadle projecting above the platform of the car in operativeconnection with the rock-shaft, and means operatively connected with theswitch-point and arranged to be operated by the said bar to actuate theswitch-point, substantially as set forth.

2. In a switch, the combination of a switchrail having the groove a, aswitch-point pivoted to said rail, a reciprocating block carrying theswitch-point, a link pivoted at one end to said block, a lever pivotedto the other end of said link and a track-treadle projectin g throughthe groove a at a point in advance of the switch-point and operativelyconnected with the said lever to operate said block, substantially asset forth.

3. The combination of a switch rail, a switch-point pivoted to theswitch-rail, a reciprocating block carrying the free end of saidswitch-point, a link pivoted at one end to said block, a lever pivotedto the other end of said link, a track-treadle operatively connectedwith the said lever, and a bar carried by a car and extending from apoint in advance of the front wheels to a point in the rear of the rearwheels of the car and adapted to be thrown into engagement with thetracktreadle, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of a switchrail, a switch-point pivoted to theswitch-rail, a reciprocating block carrying the free end of saidswitch-point, a link pivoted at one end to said block, a lever pivotedto the other end of said link, a track-treadle operatively connectedwith the said lever, a swinging bar carried by a car and extending froma point in advance of the front wheels to a point in the rear of therear wheels of the car, a rockshaft carried by the car and connectedwith said bar and a treadle projecting above the car-platform arrangedto operate the rockshaft whereby the bar is adapt-ed to be thrown intoengagement with the track-treadle, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of a movable switchpoint, a bar connected by means ofpivoted links to a car and extending beneath the same from a point inadvance of the front wheels to a point in the rear of the rear wheels,said bar being movable to and from the level of the track and providedwith a spring or

